Take-home pay calculator
A quick side-by-side estimate of your salary after tax, auto-detecting UK (Income Tax + NI) or US (federal tax + FICA) based on your location. This hub page keeps things simple on purpose — for the full picture, use the detailed regional calculator for your country: the US Take-Home Pay Calculator adds filing status and state income tax for 24 states, and the UK Salary After Tax Calculator adds Scottish Income Tax bands and student loan repayments.
🌍 Detecting your region…
Which calculator should you use?
| Page | Best for | Extra features |
|---|---|---|
| This page | A fast estimate, or comparing a UK vs US offer | Auto-detects your region — no setup needed |
| US Take-Home Pay Calculator | US residents wanting an accurate figure | Filing status (single/married/head of household), state income tax for 24 states |
| UK Salary After Tax Calculator | UK residents wanting an accurate figure | Scottish Income Tax bands, student loan Plans 1/2/4/5 + Postgraduate |
On this page
How the estimate is calculated
This hub uses the simple version of each country's calculation — single filer, no US state tax, rest-of-UK bands, no student loan — so the two numbers stay directly comparable. UK: income tax at 20% (£12,571–£50,270), 40% (£50,271–£125,140) and 45% above, with the personal allowance tapered above £100,000, plus employee National Insurance at 8%/2%. US: federal brackets from 10% to 37% after the single-filer standard deduction, plus 7.65% FICA. For the full calculation — filing status and state tax in the US, or Scottish bands and student loan in the UK — use the detailed US calculator or detailed UK calculator.
Pension contributions are deducted before tax (salary-sacrifice style), which is why adding a pension % often costs less in take-home than it adds to your pot.
Worked example — £35,000 UK salary, no pension: personal allowance £12,570 is tax-free; the remaining £22,430 is taxed at 20% (£4,486 income tax). National Insurance adds 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £35,000 (£1,794). Total deductions: £6,280. Take-home: £28,720/year, or £2,393/month — an effective rate of 17.9%.
Worked example — $60,000 US salary, no pension: after the $16,100 standard deduction (2026), $43,900 is taxable through the federal brackets, giving $5,020 in federal income tax. FICA adds 7.65% of the full $60,000 gross ($4,590 — Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%, no standard deduction applied to FICA). Total federal deductions: $9,610. Take-home: roughly $50,390/year, or $4,199/month — before any state income tax.
Take-home pay by salary (UK & US)
Estimated monthly take-home at different gross salaries, no pension contribution, using the same formulas as the calculator above.
| UK gross (yearly) | UK take-home (monthly) | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £1,793 | 13.9% |
| £35,000 | £2,393 | 17.9% |
| £50,000 | £3,293 | 21.0% |
| £70,000 | £4,263 | 26.9% |
| US gross (yearly) | US take-home (monthly) | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,860 | 14.2% |
| $60,000 | $4,199 | 16.0% |
| $80,000 | $5,426 | 18.6% |
| $100,000 | $6,598 | 20.8% |
US figures are federal tax + FICA only — state income tax (0% in states like Texas and Florida, up to 13.3% in California) will lower these further depending on where you live.
UK vs US: what's different
- UK take-home depends only on salary, tax code and pension — National Insurance and income tax are calculated the same way nationwide.
- US take-home also depends heavily on which state you're in — this calculator shows federal tax + FICA only, so your real number will usually be a bit lower once state tax is applied.
- Both systems are progressive: only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate, not your whole salary.
Common deductions this doesn't include
This calculator gives you income tax and National Insurance or FICA, but a real payslip usually has more taken off before the money lands in your account. In the UK, student loan repayments and workplace pension contributions above what you enter here reduce your net pay further — the UK calculator now models student loan repayments directly. In the US, state income tax, 401(k)/HSA contributions and health insurance premiums are typically deducted before you see your paycheck — the US calculator now models state tax for 24 states.
That's why this tool is a starting point, not a paycheck-exact figure. A $60,000 US salary with a 6% 401(k) contribution and a $200 monthly health premium will show noticeably less in your actual bank deposit than the "take-home" number here, because those amounts come out on top of federal tax and FICA. The gap between the estimate and your real payslip is almost always these extra deductions, not an error in the tax calculation itself.
How to use your take-home number
Budget against your net (take-home) figure, not your gross salary. Rent, bills, groceries and savings all come out of what actually lands in your account each month, so building a budget around the gross number is a common way to end up short. Once you have your monthly take-home from the calculator above, try splitting it into needs, wants and savings, our budget calculator can help you turn that single number into a full monthly plan.
It's also worth recalculating whenever your situation changes, a raise, a new pension percentage, or moving to a state or tax band with different rates can shift your net pay by more than the headline salary change suggests, especially if it pushes part of your income into a higher tax bracket.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this?
It's a close estimate using standard rates. Your tax code, state, benefits and deductions can change the exact figure, check your payslip.
Does it include student loans?
Not yet, UK Plan 2 takes 9% of income above the threshold; subtract that from the result if it applies to you.
Why is my US number different?
State income tax (0%–10%+) and health insurance premiums are excluded, as they vary widely.
Does this include 401(k) or pension contributions beyond what I enter?
Only the pension percentage you type into the calculator is deducted before tax. Any additional employer-matched contributions, automatic enrollment increases, or separate retirement accounts are not included, so check your pension statement for the full picture.
Why is my effective tax rate lower than my top tax bracket?
Both the UK and US use progressive brackets — only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate, not your whole salary. That's why someone in the "40% bracket" in the UK still has an effective rate well under 40% overall, since only income above £50,270 is taxed at that rate.
How much does a pension contribution actually reduce my take-home pay?
Less than the percentage you put in, because the contribution comes off before tax. For example, a 5% pension contribution on a UK salary in the 20% tax band only reduces take-home pay by about 4% net, since you're saving the tax you would have paid on that portion.
Does this calculator account for US state income tax?
No — it shows federal tax and FICA only. State income tax ranges from 0% (Texas, Florida, and a handful of others) to over 13% (California), so your real take-home will differ from the US figures above depending on your state.
Estimates for information only, not tax advice.